


Legacies

by wickedorin



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Android, Dead Parents, Gen, Minor Angst, OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2549132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedorin/pseuds/wickedorin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as a fill for a drabble request on AwaitingMassProduction: "Kurou asks Barnaby about his parents."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Legacies

He’d been asked to help move furniture, as he was more than capable of doing so without hurting himself. Of course Kotetsu insisted upon helping, but then his powers ran out at the wrong time—

And it was a good thing that Kurou had had a decent hold on the couch that Kotetsu was currently laying on to make sure his back was straight for a few hours. Barnaby had admonished him, though the android tended to his origin, getting him the television remote and a glass of lemonade.

Sighing to himself, Barnaby had simply elected to return to the bedroom, intent on searching for something or other, but… there was a message from a familiar address. Opening the e-mail, he felt a flood of emotion, bittersweet, everything else falling away as he clicked and began reading.

"Ah. I must apologize if I am intruding."

Oddly, he wasn’t particularly startled by the android’s presence. He was usually so quiet when he walked, as if on purpose. Maybe it was. “Kurou. I… no, you’re not intruding. Dr. Saito just happened to run across this article about my parents in some archive… I’ve never seen it before. That’s a little rare.”

"I had only wished to announce that it would seem my presence is no longer required here." He explained, remaining mostly outside of the room. "I will leave you to your task, then."

"Actually— Stay." Barnaby surprised himself a bit with the request. "If you don’t have anywhere else to be right now."

Tilting his head slightly, Kurou took a step forward. “Not at this particular moment.”

The blond found that a bit amusing, somehow. Certainly in comparison to some of the places his thoughts had gone, but… admittedly, it was difficult to focus on the negative memories of his parents when reading the article. “This is… sort of about you. In a way.” Barnaby turned the laptop so that it was easier for the android to see, to read the old scanned article for himself. “They talk about their work, but they also talk about their… dreams, ambitions. How they want their work to be used. Long after them.” There was admittedly the slightest hitch in his voice with those words, something swallowed down and cleared along with his throat.

Kurou was more than capable of scanning a full page, reviewing and understanding it in under a second, extending one hand forward only to hit the page down key until reaching the end. “I am— Pleased and grateful that you have given me the opportunity to read this.”

Were it anyone else, Barnaby may have thought those words to be slightly mocking. Kurou told only the truth, however. He’d learned that. “That’s… sort of how I feel about it, too.”

Standing upright, it appeared that the android was considering, pondering, thinking something over rather seriously before he spoke. “Do you remember much in regards to your parents? Though if that is inappropriate to ask—”

"No." The word was so very quick that it almost lost its meaning, the blond clearing his throat quietly. "No, I mean… it’s not inappropriate. I do remember… some things. Not as much as I’d like to, but I do… remember them."

There was another short moment of clear consideration before the next question. “May I ask what they were ‘like’?”

Out of everything he expected to be asked, that was definitely too low on the list to have been considered. “I… well. My father was… more patient than my mother. But they were both very warm people. Loving. Concerned with… what was right. With helping people who needed help.” He was silent for a little while, thinking over the most recent events in his life. “I think… they’d like you. I think my mother would have been full of questions.” Barnaby chuckled softly. “About everything. How you functioned, what you thought, your internal temperature—everything.”

"She was a very curious person?"

"The epitome of scientific curiosity.” The blond was glad to be smiling again, enjoying the memories. “How things worked and why… My father would just consult a manual, but my mother would take things apart. And usually put them back together. Sometimes a design would have to be ‘improved’…” He trailed off, the laugh going quiet. Every memory really was bitter-sweet.

"I— May I sit?"

Barnaby blinked, supposing that one surprise most certainly deserved another. “Of… of course, if you’d like.”

"I have noticed that it is generally more comfortable to have conversations of this nature while both parties are seated." Kurou explained, walking past the blond in order to sit in the chair by the window rather than on the bed as well. The distance wasn’t far between them, but he suspected it would be more comfortable to seat himself in the chair than immediately to the man’s side. Perhaps he didn’t personally know Barnaby well enough to anticipate how his words would be interpreted, reacted to, though it did seem very important to speak them regardless. “I retain portions of Kotetsu’s memory. I understand the— Loss. Sadness. I must apologize for being unable to do anything more than empathize.”

His swallow was hard, breath slow before he could answer. “That’s not… something to apologize for. Empathizing is important in itself.”

"Yes. I believe that as well." Kurou agreed. "I simply— Wished to express as much. It is a difficult loss, though I am absolutely certain that you are— Making them proud."

In one sense, Kurou wasn’t helping. Not at all. In another… “Thank you.” Barnaby croaked quietly, throat tight.

The android nodded once before standing. “I find it regrettable that I was not able to meet them. Regardless of what Rotwang changed, it was the Brooks’ initial programming which allowed me to be conscious. To be— Free.”

The words started without direction, at first, Barnaby not truly knowing what he wanted to express. “You… are their legacy. In a way. They wanted to make robots that helped people. And, I think… robots, androids, with wills of their own, who honestly wanted to help people would have been… more than their dream come true.” He was happy to say so. He was happy, but that lump in his throat was…

"As long as you are fully aware that I am certainly no more their legacy than you are." Kurou stated, something very strangely gentle but firm about his voice. "Have a good evening, Barnaby. Please check on Kotetsu at some point in the near future."

"I will." He answered automatically, watching the android leave. Happy tears were something that he didn’t really mind at all.


End file.
